Chris Patten has slammed government plans to regulate university admissions in favour of less affluent students.

In an article in the FT on Wednesday, the EU commissioner criticised government policy on higher education funding and admissions procedures.

Patten, who is standing for election as chancellor of Oxford University, said admissions practices had been subject to "ill-informed criticism" from ministers.

His comments come in the wake of reports of divisions within the Department for Education and Skills over plans to widen university access to people from the lowest social classes.

Earlier this week higher education minister Margaret Hodge swiftly retracted a pledge to set admissions targets for universities after the move was rejected by education secretary Charles Clarke.

Patten echoed government concerns over falling numbers of students from the lowest social classes .

He noted that only seven per cent of children from this group continued in higher education compared to 13 per cent in 1991-92. However, he argued that the appointment of an "access regulator" would only dilute educational standards.

"Universities should be helped to do more, not forced by law to compromise their standards" he said.

The former Conservative Party chairman added that "in selecting students, we should be blind to means - an argument for generosity with maintenance grants and bursaries - but not blind to ability."

Patten was also keen to see an increase in funding to enable British universities to compete with their international counterparts.

While he welcomed the introduction of top-up fees as evidence of a "willingness to open up the discussion of university funding", he said that foreign universities with superior funding would become "ever more attractive".

Patten, already chancellor at Newcastle University, argued that the government could still do more to plug the "large hole in higher education financing".

Britain currently spends less on education as a proportion of GDP than 24 of the 28 member states in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Only 17 per cent of the British labour force has a degree, compared to 28 per cent in the USA, he added.

These figures come despite a government pledge to boost numbers in higher education in order to cement the link between education and economic development.

Patten faces competition for the Oxford post from judge Lord Bingham of Cornhill, Lord Neill of Bladen who is backed by former Tory leader William Hague and Liberal Democrat comedian Sandi Toksvig.

A report in Thursday's Times suggests that Oxford alumni among senior Labour MPs, led by Europe minister Denis MacShane, are willing to vote for Patten in what he has described as his final election bid.